Night photography is a rather specific genre. Firstly, it is dark at night, but for a good photo you need enough light to hit the photosensitive material. Secondly, the artificial lighting used at night is very bright. If you set the weight of the setting correctly, you can get a very interesting frame where objects illuminated by colored spots of light will be emphasized by expressive shadows. Incorrect settings will lead to the fact that the photo will be nothing but too bright light sources, "spread" throughout the frame.
It is necessary
- - tripod,
- - release cable,
- - timer,
- - remote controller,
- - hood.
Instructions
Step 1
Fixing the camera is extremely important, so you will definitely need a tripod to get a good shot at night. Be sure to take it with you when you purposefully set off to photograph. If you have a wonderful shot in your head, and the tripod was not with you, use whatever is at hand. You can put the camera on handrails, curbs, all kinds of racks and fences. If the surface is uneven, use a notepad, phone, etc. to adjust the angle of the camera.
Step 2
Even if the camera has a "night" shooting mode, disable it, use manual settings. It is best to set the light sensitivity as low as possible. The fact is that at long exposures and high ISO sensitivity, the frame turns out to be noisy. Ideally, you should shoot at 100 ISO, adjusting your shutter speed to suit your lighting conditions. When doing this, focus on medium-lit objects. It is worth sacrificing sensitivity only if you simply cannot afford a slow shutter speed, for example, when the subject is moving.
Step 3
The optimal value for exposure is considered to be a time from 2 to 10 seconds. If you are using longer intervals, then a cable release, timer or remote control for the camera will come in handy. If there are artificial light sources at slow shutter speeds, wear a hood over the lens to help protect the frame from light outside the frame.
Step 4
Be sure to take multiple shots. Even if you have a lot of experience in night photography, it is still this time that you can make a mistake. Several photos with different modes will allow you to play it safe and guaranteed to get a good result and even, perhaps, discover something new for yourself.
Step 5
Try to avoid zooming. Optical zoom reduces the amount of light entering the frame, which is one of the most important things in night photography. Digital zoom shouldn't be used at all.
Step 6
One of the main mistakes inexperienced night photography enthusiasts make is to open the aperture. Of course, more light will fall on it, but it will be mainly light from the strongest sources. Dark and dimly lit objects will remain unresolved, and bright ones will be too blurry. In general, the photo will leave the impression of being blurry and damp.
